WPU, Vitol’s plastics recycling business, plans to build a new chemical recycling facility for end-of-life plastics at the Port of Rotterdam, alongside Vitol’s refinery, VPR. The new plant will have the capacity to process 80,000 tonnes a year of post-consumer end-of-life plastic, increasing WPU’s total recycling capacity to 100,000 tons per year.
The Rotterdam facility is expected to be one of Europe’s largest chemical recycling plants for end-of-life plastics. Using WPU’s proven proprietary batch pyrolysis technology, it will convert end-of-life plastic into pyrolysis oil, a circular feedstock for the production of circular chemicals, intermediates and new plastics, targeting a lower carbon intensity than fossil naphtha. The project comes as demand grows for circular feedstocks and as European policy continues to support higher recycled content and the decarbonization of petrochemical value chains.
Jeffrey van Geloof, CEO of WPU and managing director of VPR, said: “This project would mark an important milestone in WPU’s growth. Building on the operating experience we have gained in Denmark, it would significantly expand our recycling capacity and represent the next step in scaling our technology for the European market.”
WPU’s pyrolysis technology has already been successfully deployed at its plant in Farevejle, Denmark, which has a recycling capacity of 20,000 tons per year. It is currently operating close to full capacity and is a reliable supplier to its customers. WPU is among the first companies to deploy plastics pyrolysis at commercial scale for end-of-life plastic.
Tom Baker, Vitol’s global head of naphtha and head of the Middle East, said: “We are excited to be taking this significant step towards having a scalable circular economy in the plastics sector. Projects such as this will help tackle the plastic waste problem, expand the availability of alternative raw materials for the petrochemical sector, and lower the overall carbon intensity of manufacturing plastic. Located alongside VPR in Rotterdam, the facility would be well placed to connect recycled output with existing industrial infrastructure and end markets.”
The plant will incorporate state-of-the-art furnace technology designed to reduce emissions and lower energy use. Similar technology has already been deployed at Vitol’s Rotterdam refinery, VPR, which has resulted in a 50% reduction in NOx emissions, an 80% reduction in SO2 emissions and a 40% reduction in energy consumption, making VPR one of the most energy-efficient refineries in Europe.
The project remains subject to the relevant regulatory approvals. A comprehensive stakeholder consultation will be undertaken as part of this process.